Hi everyone,
I’m in a bit of a unique and challenging situation regarding internet access and would really appreciate some insights from this community.
I live in an area with limited internet options – no fiber and subpar 5G connectivity. The only available wired internet is via an outdated telephone line, offering a mere 2mb download speed, which is far from sufficient for my needs. My job involves sending and downloading large files regularly, often exceeding 100GB, so a fast and reliable internet connection is crucial.
Currently, I’m using T-Mobile’s Mobile Unlimited plan on my phone, which gives me about 50mb download speed. It is called „L Nielimitowana” (I’m from Poland). It’s manageable but not ideal, especially since I need to keep my phone constantly connected to my PC. This setup is far from ideal for my work.
I approached T-Mobile about a 5G router plan, but they informed me that they don’t offer 5G router plans in areas with suboptimal connections to avoid providing unsatisfactory service. However, they did propose an alternative: getting a second SIM card with unlimited 5G internet at half the price of my current plan. But here’s the catch – the representative and the contract clearly state that this SIM card will not work in a mobile router, only in phones.
This brings me to my main questions for you knowledgeable folks:
Is it true that T-Mobile (or other carriers) can distinguish if a SIM card is being used in a router instead of a phone? If so, how do they do it?
Are there any workarounds or specific types of routers that might bypass this limitation?
Having a router with this type of internet would be a game-changer for me, so any advice, insights, or experiences you can share would be immensely helpful.
Thanks in advance!
The spare phone as a modem is the only foolproof way unfortunately.
With a router, devices connected behid this creates an an extra hop and this can be detected in the TTL, but you mileage may vary if you put a sim in a WWAN enabled router. It might work or it might not.
I’ve tried a number of methods with different carriers. Some dont limit this sort of thing via technical surveileance, they just deploy an acceptable use policy. (but these are typically the carriers that give you unlimited data BUT with a maximum speed cap) The faster the link, the more likely you will encounter proactive surviellance.
EDIT: This below usb modem link is also a voice enabled device that you can build a raspi phone out of, and it also can recieive SMS, making it likely it reports as a voice enabled device, which is what carriers usually stipualte. I’ve had no issues with multiple SIM plans in it.
I use this IOT type usb industrial modem plugged into my OpenWRT router as my failover link which is viraully plug and play in linux, The benefit with this is I can also use this modem on other professional study projects for testing and its much cheaper that a spare phone. Its just another cheaper option to think about.
https://www.waveshare.com/sim7600g-h-4g-dongle.htm
Hi again,
I understand that it might not be feasible to know the specifics of every router model, so I won’t list various options. Instead, I’m wondering if it’s possible at all for a commercial 5G router, like the Netgear MR5200, to bypass IMEI detection issues. If there’s a chance, what specifications or features should I look for in a router to increase the likelihood of it working with the SIM card without detection? If this approach is too uncertain, I’ll use a cheap 5g capable phone as a modem instead.
As I said, the router’s WWAN IMEI is a bit like a MAC address that is bound to a hardware brand and type. But unlike simple MAC spoofing, you cant bypass that without some very advanced spy level hack skills and that’s can even be a criminal offence in some countries. (IMEI numbers are involved in network and cell tower authentication.) The carrier expects a link with a device that has the IMEI of a voice handset - and the Netgear cant do this.
Your carrier might work with the Netgear just fine, but that will only due to how motivated the carrier is to dectect and police this breach of their terms. You can buy the Netgear, but there is a risk that you’ll get cut. The only way to defeat this reliably is via the method I’ve given you, which is akin to exploiting a technical loophole.